Guide to D&D terms

[melodysangel]

While dungeon crawling, there were a few requests for explanation on what a few of us were calling out. What these 'checks' (or skillsets) were. Truthfully, I have 3 separate versions stuck in my head, since my group of friends is currently beta testing the newest version (and its a mash of everything previous to it!) so ill try to get things slowly down.

So, every character in a group has the chance ofcalling out to attempt to use a skill that may help out in whatever situation they are in. Whether or not they are trained in it, what their class is, and even their race and background are put in effect with how effective that skill will be.

Skills are based off of ability scores (strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom and charisma), but what ability score effects what skillset varies from version to version--or can be altered with feats--special skills you learn by leveling up. Natually, a caster will not have a high strength score but might have a higher charisma, or wisdom/intelligence score, depending on what kind of caster they are. Rogues would have a high dexterity, and a fighter I would hope would have a high strength and constitution score. So a fighter can certainly try to use a 'spot' or 'perception' check--but it might not be as effective as if a caster (and artificer >>) or healer did that check. Likewise, if a fighter had to make a jump/athletics check, there is a good chance they will succeed over someone with a lower strength score.

Still with me? Hopefully?

Here are the skillsets for 3.5 (grabbed them from DDO since I don't have a sheet handy).

balance (dex)--id make this if something is knocking me down to see if I stay on my feet
bluff (cha)
concentration (con)--for casters. Dose my spell get interrupted if something attacks me?
diplomacy (cha)
disable device (int)
haggle (cha)
heal (wis)
hide (dex)
intimidate (cha)
jump (str)
listen (wis)
move silently(dex)
open lock(dex)
perform (cha)--for bards and other performers. How well their song skills work
repair (int)--arti specific. the equivalent of healing only meant for non bio things..like a robot (warforged)
search (int)
spot (wis) (goes hand in hand with search/listen)
swim (str)
tumble (dex) (acrobatics)
umd (cha)--meant for casters. Can you wield that magical weapon or is it going to control you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4.0 skills/checks (ability scores are the same across the board)

Acrobatics (dex)--do I have to flip out of the way or am I getting hit by that dagger?
Arcana (int)--The standard for casters. If its magic based, what do I know about it?
Athletics (str)--the floor is out from under you. How fast do I run and jump to make it to the other side in time? Then, can I hold onto the edge?
Bluff (cha)
Diplomacy(cha)
dungeneering(wis) --do you find your way around a dungeoun easy or are you getting lost?
endurance (con) --how well do you do under extremes?
heal (wis)
history (int)
insight (wis)--usually a caster thing..a general vibe or instinct on how you feel about something
intimidate (cha)
nature (wis)
perception (wis0--cramming all of the spot/listen stuff from 3.5)
religion
stealth (dex) --another compile stuff from 3.5
streetwise (cha) --ears to the ground, what you pick up when you enter a city
thievery (dex)
~~~~~~~~~~~

And I just opened my PDF for my 5.0 character and it looks like they are now using the 4.0 skills (before it was just super simple 5 ot 6 things and that's it..but they've been changing it constantly since its still in beta)

~~Though I could have sworn the intimidate was now Str based instead of charisma. It never made sence to me why you had to be charismatic to intimidate someone o.o


Questions? Post here...and if I forgot anything or you wish to add on..go for it <3

[springacres]

I can't explain exactly why, but intimidation seems to me like it'd just be a more aggressive sort of bluffing? So to me it does kind of make sense that charisma would affect an intimidate check. But I can see how strength could affect it, too, since strength is a fairly good indicator of overall size or at least physical prowess.

[melodysangel]

Ammelia, my cute tiny Denieth fighter, who is only 16 but looks like shes 12..can intimidate almost anything she comes across. Her score on DDO is naturally sitting at about 100, and on p&p, she will literally scare her own troops if shes pushed off the perverbial edge. Its funny to see but in that state she can clear whole sections on her own. And its not because shes 'cute' o.o

Ratchet that with an otherwise 'innocent' personality and you have heads shaking xD

[PookaWitch]

Apr 19, 2014 14:07:13 GMT -5 springacres said:

I can't explain exactly why, but intimidation seems to me like it'd just be a more aggressive sort of bluffing? So to me it does kind of make sense that charisma would affect an intimidate check. But I can see how strength could affect it, too, since strength is a fairly good indicator of overall size or at least physical prowess.

That's still a pretty condensed list for 3.5. Pathfinder adjusted the skills too to make their own condensed list.

Intimidate (in tabletop, not DDO) can be used to get somebody to act friendly towards you for a time (afterwards they may report you, or attack you, etc), or to run away. (In DDO it makes them attack your character.)
Bluff is used to lie to somebody convincingly, or to feint in combat.
Diplomacy is another way of making somebody friendly... but unlike intimidate it's more 'real' and not just making somebody so afraid that they temporarily help you out.